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Sixteen sections of underwater oil and gas pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac were found unsupported on the Great Lakes bottom during 2003 inspections — spans of 140 feet or longer, well beyond state requirements for mooring the pipe.

Of the 48 anchor support locations inspected by Enbridge on its pipeline at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac, the majority have missing coating.

An image from underwater inspections of Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac shows an area of missing protective coating and exposed steel.(Photo: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality)

The revelations keep expanding about damaged protections on underwater oil pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac. And state officials' ire keeps growing.

For the second time in two months, Gov. Rick Snyder called out Canadian oil transport giant Enbridge, this time after state agencies announced Monday that the company had revealed "dozens" of additional gaps in the protective outer coating that the state requires on Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac.

“I am no longer satisfied with the operational activities and public information tactics that have become status quo for Enbridge," Snyder said. "It is vitally important that Enbridge immediately become much more transparent about the condition of Line 5 and their activities to ensure protection of the Great Lakes.”

Line 5 is an oil transmission line through the Upper Peninsula that splits into twin, underwater pipelines through the 4½-mile Straits of Mackinac before reconnecting into one line and continuing through the Lower Peninsula. The pipeline transports up to 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids through the state to a hub in Sarnia, Ontario.

In August, state officials requested Enbridge inspect the underwater pipelines at the site of all anchor supports securing the pipes on the lake bottom, after the company's inspections revealed damage to the outer protective coating on the pipe at one of the anchor support installation locations. Enbridge possessed information about the damage to at least one area of pipeline coating in 2014 and failed to disclose it to state agencies until this summer.

Enbridge thus far has completed inspections at 48 of 128 anchor locations, and the majority of those areas have coating gaps, company officials told the state Monday.

"A year ago, Enbridge said there were no coating gaps on the Straits pipeline. Now there are dozens," said Valerie Brader, executive director for the Michigan Agency for Energy and cochair of the state Pipeline Safety Advisory Board.

"When will we know the full accounting of what Enbridge knows about Line 5?"

"We recognize the public’s interest in the findings we are sharing, and we are committed to providing timely and transparent updates to the State and the public," Barnes stated. "It is important to note that none of these findings represents a risk to the safe operation of Line 5 at the Straits of Mackinac."

Free Press questions to which Barnes did not respond included:

• When did Enbridge know about the coating gaps near anchor supports?

• Did those who installed the anchor supports fail to notify the company of damage caused during their installation?

• Did Enbridge fail to notice the damage in its past inspections of the pipe, which have included observing the pipes using remote-operated vehicles and divers?

• Did the fact that so many of the anchor installation sites sustained coating damage indicate a failure in planning or installation by Enbridge or its contractors?

A diver working on behalf of the nonprofit National Wildlife Federation inspects the Line 5 oil pipelines at the lake bottom in the Straits of Mackinac during a July 2013 dive.(Photo: National Wildlife Federation)

The outer protective pipeline coating and anchor supports spaced no more than 75 feet apart are requirements outlined in Enbridge's 1953 easement from the state, allowing the use of the Straits bottom lands for the pipelines. The company has had issues complying with both requirements. It is currently seeking state permission to install 22 additional pipeline supports, as the gaps between supports now exceeds the 75-foot maximum.

The missing enamel coating was discovered during pipeline inspections required in a 2016 consent decree between Enbridge and the federal government, part of a settlement stemming from a massive oil spill from an Enbridge oil transmission line near Marshall in July 2010 that fouled more than 35 miles of the Kalamazoo River and prompted a four-year cleanup that cost more than $1 billion. Enbridge was fined $61 million as part of an overall $177-million settlement that required improvements to its pipeline networks.

In light of the newest revelations about many more areas of missing pipeline coating, state officials called on Enbridge on Monday to provide "a full accounting of the status of the Line 5 pipeline" at the Pipeline Safety Advisory Board's Dec. 11 meeting in Lansing. The information should include the company's findings about the condition of the pipeline, its protective coating and anchors; as well as the results of video inspections, in-line tests, a recent hydrostat test and studies of the impacts of quagga mussels and other living organisms on the pipes.

"This (latest revelation) is very troubling and points out exactly why the state has been vigilant about getting information from Enbridge," Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director and pipeline safety board cochair C. Heidi Grether said in a statement.

"It is essential that we get adequate and accurate information from Enbridge to allow the state to continue our pursuit of protecting the Great Lakes."

Sound off on Straits of Mackinac pipeline

The State of Michigan will release on Monday the final version of a Line 5 Alternatives Analysis report. Developed by independent contractor Dynamic Risk, the report studies what options are available for transporting 540,000 barrels per day of light crude oil and natural gas liquids through the Straits.

The report will be available on the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board's website, http://mipetroleumpipelines.com. Public comments will be accepted until Dec. 22 online at the board's website, or via mail to: Department of Environmental Quality, Attn: Line 5 Alternatives Analysis, P.O. Box 30473, Lansing, MI 48909-7973.

Three public feedback sessions have been scheduled to discuss the final alternatives analysis report: